The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, issued a statement Wednesday apologizing for social media posts from his son, an army general, who had threatened to invade neighboring Kenya.
The son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had also this week asked his more than 600,000 Twitter followers how many cows should be offered as a bride price for Giorgia Meloni, the likely next prime minister of Italy.
“Nkoke cows. The most beautiful cows on earth,” Kainerugaba wrote, adding that “in our culture you give a girl you like a cow.”
“I would give her 100 Nkore cows immediately! For being fearless and true!!” he wrote.
However, this apparent declaration of affection was followed by what appeared to be a threat: “If the Romans reject our cows that means we must capture Rome. That would take us days to do,” Kainerugaba — nicknamed the “tweeting general” — wrote.
On Tuesday, Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power since 1986, announced he was removing his son as commander of Uganda’s land forces but was also promoting him to a four-star general.
In Wednesday’s statement, the Ugandan president tried to calm tensions further. He criticized Kainerugaba for interfering “in the internal affairs of brother countries” but justified his promotion by saying that there are “other positive contributions the General has made” and calling him a “passionate Pan-Africanist.”
Kainerugaba’s comments on Meloni were not mentioned in Museveni’s statement.